Race Proven’s 8-Second Z06

We recently heard rumor of a 2007 Z06 Corvette that had run a series of 8-second quarter-mile times. It didn’t take long before we were led to Race Proven Motorsports in Claymont, Delaware. We spoke with shop owner Fran Schatz who gave us the low-down on his 8-second Z06. Let’s take a look at this record setting and streetable looking Z06!

Race Proven’s 2007 Z06 Corvette is amazingly stock-appearing with it’s stock Z06 wheels. Traction is supplied by M&H drag radials that make it hook with amazingly low 1.30 sixty foot times. The engine is a RPM-prepped 427 LS7, based on a stock block with factory Z06 crank.

A pair of factory GM ported LS7 heads are used, along with the stock ported LS7 intake and a custom grind camshaft by RPM. This entire application is fed by a A&A Corvette Performance YSI supercharger setup. The package has a Vortech supercharger in use along with a methanol injection kit to prevent detonation.

In the overall combination wasn’t jaw-droppingly simple, it’s hard to believe that Race Proven even did this with pump gas, full air conditioning, and all power-accessories. Heck, they even kept the heated seats.

Suspension is simple,: QA1’s shocks front and rear, and 17-inch CCWs wearing the before-mentioned M&H tires. The rears are 325/45/17 drag radials, and the front runners are 185/55/17s. Even with the 17-inch drag radials, the Z06 has run back to back 1.32x 60′ times and will only go faster with the new tires they’ve been waiting on.run

“The car’s owner set out to break records, and with a bit of work we have met his challenge,” explained builder Schatz. “My guys at the shop and I have worked non-stop to make sure we would have the car ready for this race. We got the car done on Monday and got it on the trailer it to Louisiana on Tuesday.”

You can check out A&A’s selection of Corvette and Vortech kits here on their supercharger page. A&A has been working with Vortech to built custom kits for C5 and C6 Corvette’s, but this is the first example of a Corvette being built with 8-second capability with one of their YSI tuner kits. This shows that Vortech and A&A are making a kit that can make monster streetable power.

Check out the video below of the 8-second Z06 in action.

Shifting gears would be a plus, but the key to this Z is the automatic transmission conversion: a 4L80E automatic. This transmission swap is unique in that many C6 owners swap the 4L70.

With very little dyno time, and even less track time, the numbers are sure impressive. Even though the video is somewhat deceiving as to how hard the car leaves the line, it is getting out quickly with the stock 3.42 gear ratio inside a fortified IRS rear housing. Fran has assured me that we have not seen the last of the Z06 and with a new set of American Racing Headers and a more aggressive tune the car will be in the mid to low eights in no time.